Effect of Oilseed Supplementation on Amino Acid

Digestibility in Laying Hen Diets

Iulia VARZARU*1), Tatiana PANAITE2), Arabela UNTEA2), Gabriela CORNESCU1), Ilie VAN1)
University of Agronomic Science and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest, Romania
National Research Development Institute for Animal Biology and Nutrition (IBNA), Balotesti,
Romania
*Corresponding author, email: iulia_maros@yahoo.com

1)

2)

Bulletin UASVM Animal Science and Biotechnologies 71(2) / 2014,

Print ISSN 1843-5262; Electronic ISSN 1843-536X
DOI: 10.15835/buasvmcn-asb:10730

Abstract

Linseed and camelina seed are used in laying hen diets for obtaining eggs enriched in PUFA, being also a
potential source of protein for poultry. The bioavailability of amino acids is an important criterion used to evaluate
the ef icient utilization of feedstuffs. This study was performed in order to determine the amino acid digestibility
coef icients from diets supplemented with oilseeds and fenugreek seeds. An experiment was conducted on 114
laying hens, assigned to 3 groups (C, E1, E2) and housed in metabolic cages (2 hens/cage, 38 hens/group). The hens
were fed with a corn-soybean meal based diet. The experimental diets enriched in PUFA were supplemented with
5% linseed and 2% camelina seed (E1), and 2% linseed, 2 % camelina seed and 1% fenugreek seed (E2). During
the inal week, the ingesta, the feed leftovers and the excreta were daily recorded, in order to form weekly average
samples for amino acid balance. The aminoacids were determined by HPLC using a method according to the UE
Regulation 152/2009. The digestibility coef icients of the dietary essential aminoacids decreased signi icantly in
E2 (P0.05) when compared with the control: for lysine 86.852.74% in C, 81.331.97% in E2; for methionine
87.301.43% in C, 80.993.09% in E2; for cystine 87.211.40% in C, 85.161.48% for E2. The group E1 did not
register any signi icant differences compared with C and E2. The results of this study revealed a decreasing effect
on aminoacid digestibility in the group with supplemented fenugreek seed and oilseeds.
Keywords: amino acid digestibility, oilseed, laying hen

Introduction. Linseed and camelina seed are

used in laying hen diets for obtaining eggs enriched
in PUFA, being also a potential source of protein
for poultry (Aziza et al., 2010). The bioavailability
of amino acids is an important criterion used
to evaluate the ef icient utilization of feedstuffs
(Ravindran, 1999), being important in the
formulation of diets more closely to requirements
of bird (Lemme et al., 2004).
Aims and objectives. This study was performed in order to determine the aminoacid
digestibility coef icients from hens diets,
supplemented with oilseeds and fenugreek seeds.
Materials and methods. Plants origin.
Fenugreek, camelina and linseed were grown on
the experimental plots of the INCDA-Fundulea, in

the South East region of Romania.

Animal experiment. The experiment was
conducted in an experimental hall on 114
Lohmann Brown hens (age 59 weeks), divided
into 3 groups (C, E1, E2). The laying hens were
housed in metabolic cages (2 hens/cage, 38 hens/
group). During the 5 weeks of experiment, the
feed and water were provided ad libitum. Diet
formulation was in agreement with the nutritional
requirements for laying hens (NRC, 1994). The
structure of the control diet was: corn (32.67%),
rice (15%), wheat (15%), rapeseed meal (15%),
soybean meal (10%) and sun lower oil (1%).
The control diet had 16.35% crude protein, 5.44
% crude fat and 2710 kcal/ kg feed. The E diets
differed from C by inclusion of: 5% linseed and 2

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VARZARU et al

Tab. 1 The aminoacid concentrations in laying hens diets, % DM and apparent digestibility
coef icients (%) for analyzed amino acids
Amino acid
aspartic acid
glutamic acid
serine
glycine
threonine
arginine
alanine
tyrosine
valine
phenylalanine
isoleucine
leucine
lysine
cystine
methionine

C
1.731
4.229
1.025
0.792
0.757
1.246
0.967
0.538
1.340
0.952
0.655
1.529
0.878
0.423
0.502

E1
1.739
4.439
1.037
0.804
0.773
1.110
1.006
0.581
1.161
0.802
0.743
1.553
0.911
0.471
0.467

E2
1.688
4.324
1.117
0.848
0.826
1.220
1.029
0.580
1.127
0.873
0.752
1.513
0.940
0.468
0.454

C
83.74 2.55 c
85.41 2.42 c
89.91 1.66 c
71.20 3.21 c
78.68 3.11 c
90.42 1.78 bc
77.90 4.34 c
86.12 2.89 c
84.98 2.41 bc
85.93 1.81 bc
79.07 3.30
86.49 2.16 c
86.85 2.74 c
87.21 1.40 c
87.30 1.43 c

Where: a, b, c = signi icantly different (p0.05) from C; E1; E2.

% camelina meal (E1); 2% linseed, 2% camelina

seed and 1% fenugreek seed (E2). Raw materials
and feed samples were analyzed for physicalchemical parameters according to Regulation
(EC) no. 152/2009. During the inal week of the
experiment (for 5 days), the ingesta, the feed
leftovers and the excreta were daily recorded
with accuracy for each cage, in order to perform
the amino acid balance. Aminoacid apparent
digestibility coef icients were calculated based on
chemical determination from ingesta and excreta
samples. The coef icient of apparent digestibility
represents the ratio between the amount of
absorbed aminoacid and the amount of ingested
aminoacid (expressed as percent). Aminoacids
were determined according to the UE Regulation
152/2009 using a HPLC determination method
(Varzaru et al., 2013).
Results and discussion. The analysis of
the laying hen diets showed that the compound
feeds were balanced in regard of all aminoacids
considered. Aminoacid digestibility coef icients
were calculated taking into account the ingested
and excreted aminoacid amounts during the
balance period (Tab. 1).
The digestibility coef icients of the dietary
essential amino acids decreased signi icantly in
E2 (P0.05) when compared with the control: for
lysine 86.852.74% in C, 81.331.97% in E2; for
methionine 87.301.43% in C, 80.993.09% in

Bulletin UASVM Animal Science and Biotechnologies 71(2) / 2014

E1
81.89 2.00 c
83.15 2.12 c
89.27 1.10
69.17 3.39
78.35 1.89
85.73 1.71 a
75.64 2.68 c
84.14 1.90 c
81.27 1.79 ac
81.89 2.51 a
80.22 1.83 c
85.47 1.34 c
86.02 1.54 c
88.10 1.44 c
84.94 1.46 c

E2
77.50 2.70 ab
79.07 2.74 ab
87.68 1.64 a
64.74 4.18 a
75 2.66 a
83.88 1.75 a
71.14 3.46 ab
80.32 2.96 ab
76.12 3.41 ab
80.17 3.34 a
75.72 3.86 b
80.79 2.83 ab
81.33 1.97 ab
85.16 1.48 ab
80.99 3.09 ab

E2; for cystine 87.211.40% in C, 85.161.48% for

E2. The group E1 did not register any signi icant
differences compared with C. The essential aminoacid digestibility from E2 decreased signi icantly
(P0.05) when compared with the E1.
Conclusion. The results of this study revealed
a decreasing effect on aminoacid digestibility in
the group with supplemented fenugreek seed and
oilseeds.
Acknowledgements. This paper was published
under the frame of European Social Found, Human
Resources Development Programme 2007-2013,
project no. POSDRU/ 159/1.5/S/132765.

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